Are we obligated to accept medical certificates issued by pharmacists?

Any assistance would be appreciated

Technically under the FWA, there are no strict rules on what is classed as acceptable evidence. A lot depends on what is in your absence policy, but generally medical certificates and stat decs are classed as acceptable and I suspect if refused and challenged, you could be on rocky ground. Some employers don't bother asking for any medical proof if someone is off for a day or so as it can often be impractical if you are full of flu/ sickness etc to drag yourself out to the GP or pharmacy. Hope this helps,